For the last more than a decade, T. P. Murukesan, a fisherman has been doing something profound for the environment.
He has made it a mission to check the dwindling mangrove population along the coastal stretches in Ernakulam. The disheartening sight of the depleting mangrove ecosystem owing to massive urbanisation pushed him to undertake a mission to save the green cover.
Thanks to his sustained efforts to restore the vanishing mangrove stretches, the 58-year-old native of Malippuram, Vypeen has nurtured over 1 lakh mangrove saplings set up in his eight-cent property in the past 11 years and has planted around 50,000 saplings in Puthuvype, Elankunnapuzha, Njarakkal, Cherai, Kannamaly, Vallarpadam, Mulavukadu and Valanthakad.
A skilled fisherman and mason, he has also distributed mangrove seedlings to nature lovers interested in participating in the restoration initiatives.
“I was shocked to learn a decade back that two-third of the mangrove cover in regions including Puthuvype had vanished following massive human interference and developmental projects. The fish wealth was also hit adversely as the mangroves acted as a food source for the marine resources,” said Mr. Murukesan, who nurtured around 5,000 mangrove saplings in his nursery set up at his home in 2013 under the Kerala Forest Department’s Social Forestry programme.
“It was after the devastating floods in 2018 that people realised the importance of mangroves that acted as natural bio-shields against extreme climate change events. Many areas that were inundated could have been saved by having mangroves as an eco-friendly barrier,” he said.
His wife and two daughters assist him in planting the saplings at the home nursery, which has a capacity to grow more than 20,000 plants at a time. He improved the basic infrastructure in his nursery after getting support from the M.S Swaminathan Research Foundation as part of the fisheries-based skill development and livelihood enhancement project in coastal villages.
“I had replaced plastic bags with bamboo to grow the plants to avoid the environmental impact of using plastic. The mangrove seeds are planted in two hollowed out bamboo pieces tied together and filled with mud. I buy each bamboo pole at a rate of around ₹100 and cut into 30-35 pieces to make the bed for the seedlings. I have been mostly planting ‘Pranthan Kandal’ (Rhizophora mucronate) and the seeds are collected from areas close to Valappu and Puthuvype beaches,” he said.
Murukesan has been actively associating with researchers and environmental groups in campaigns aimed at protecting the mangrove population in Ernakulam. He is also engaged in the conservation of Olive Ridley turtles along the Cherai beach.
